The men's basketball team opened its season with a late-game surge against host Rhode Island College last Saturday but fell just short in what proved to be a 48-46 loss.

Despite the loss, and playing without guard Jay Freeman '13 and forward Alex Schmidt '14, the team showed glimpses of its potential throughout the game.

While the Judges attempted to take control in the first half, the Anchormen held Brandeis' high-powered offense at bay, limiting the squad to 20 points. It ultimately proved to be a defensive-minded, low-scoring half, in which there were three ties and four lead changes.

The Judges entered halftime trailing 22-20, and after a key three-pointer by Rhode Island junior guard Michael Palumbo with nine minutes, 26 seconds to play, the Judges were on the decline. Brandeis soon stared down a double-digit deficit with just five minutes to play.

"I think what enabled [Rhode Island] to jump out to a large margin at the start of the second was their ability to knock down shots that they weren't hitting in the first half," said guard Ben Bartoldus '14.

The Judges slowly chipped away at the deficit, eventually cutting it to four points, as Bartoldus knocked down a layup with 1:15 to play. Forward Alex Stoyle '14 capitalized on a RIC turnover soon after, notching another layup to cut the lead to two points with 44 seconds left.

The Judges then committed a costly foul against RIC senior guard Tahrike Carter, sending him to the free-throw line. Carter buried both free throws with just 18 seconds left. The Judges kept themselves in the game, though, with a fall-away three pointer by guard Derek Retos '14 with just five seconds left.

The Judges then had no choice but to foul RIC with 2.7 seconds remaining. Junior guard Nyheem Sanders made the first free-throw but missed the second one. The ensuing rebound gave Brandeis one last chance to win the game.

The Judges called a timeout, and elected to run a play to point guard Gabe Moton '14. His half-court heave caromed off the rim, causing the Judges to fall short of what would have been a comeback victory.

Bartoldus credited the Judges' ability to knock down shots as a key factor in the late comeback.

"Initially we struggled to hit [shots] in the second [half] but we picked up momentum as the half progressed to cut the deficit," he said.

Center Youri Dascy '14 led Brandeis with nine points, but tallied just one rebound. Bartoldus and Retos each scored eight points. Moton, in his debut for Brandeis, led the Judges with eight rebounds and six assists, but also committed seven turnovers.

Stoyle tallied seven points, three rebounds, two assists, two blocks and a steal. Forward Ishmael Kalilou '15 scored six points and added four rebounds in 15 minutes off the bench.
Bartoldus said that, even though they lost, the game was a step in the right direction for the Judges.

"It's always hard to find positives from a loss, however, there were glimpses to how dominant we can be," he said. "I think defensively we got after it and our press played a key role in the shift of momentum in the second."

"What we need to work on most is becoming more consistent offensively, which is closely within our grasp."

The Judges look to take the next step toward reaching their potential in a home game against the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth tonight.

Brandeis will then host the Big Four Tournament this weekend, beginning with a local rivalry against Tufts University this Saturday at 7 p.m.
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